I Became a Vicious Supporting Role in the '70s
Chapter 136: Chunfang Fell into the River

Chapter 136: Chapter 136: Chunfang Fell into the River

Lu Zhenping explained that he actually didn’t spend any money on those things; his comrades from Hai City heard that he wanted to buy them and specially purchased them from the Friendship Store. When he went home to get the money from his wife, his comrades even teased him a bit.

Shen Meng couldn’t relate to this camaraderie, but she was willing to offer more care.

When Uncle Guai came with the ox cart, he saw two sacks placed in front of them and shouted "Oh," but didn’t say much. They had greeted Uncle Guai, so he made an extra trip in the afternoon to pick the three of them up.

Lu Zhenping handed Uncle Guai 50 cents and a lunchbox.

"What’s this?"

"We had a gathering with comrades today, and one of the dishes, braised fish, was too salty and hardly anyone touched it, so I scooped it out. We’ll share it between our two families."

Upon hearing this, Uncle Guai laughed cheerfully. He took it and glanced; the braised fish, somewhat frozen, emitted a mix of fragrance and a faint fishy smell, and there were holes poked by chopsticks on top. Only then did he feel at ease to take it.

Country folks aren’t too particular; if the food is good, they’ll eat it. Uncle Guai, seeing that Lu Zhenping and his wife could still think of his family even when they went out for a meal, was overjoyed. On the way back, the old ox’s behind made popping noises, not at all like the heartache it showed when coming to the county.

The old ox, feeling quite unpleasant, ran desperately against the cold wind, hoping to spare its behind some pain.

Only then did Shen Meng realize why he insisted on poking the fish with chopsticks when packing it.

When the couple returned home, it had already grown dark. Shen Meng had just opened the courtyard door and let Lu Zhenping carry things in when Lu Jiasheng rushed over anxiously.

"Big brother, elder sister-in-law, come quickly to our house. Ming Fang and Ming Liang fell into the river, they are lying on our stove bed right now!"

Shen Meng and Lu Zhenping were shocked; they locked the door and ran towards Lu Jiasheng’s house, carrying Lu Mingkai with them.

Ming Fang nested in Xie Jinghao’s arms, looking wilted, while Lu Mingliang, in another quilt, was starting to recover some spirits, looking worriedly at Ming Fang.

Mingyang stood by the stove bed gloomily. It seemed he even glanced at Lai Zi’s wife.

"How can one be so cruel? How could they treat children with such harshness? Didn’t they think that if something happened, would my big brother and elder sister-in-law just let them off?"

Lai Zi’s wife lifted her eyelids and glanced at her, saying: "Your big brother is a soldier, currently on home leave; can he afford to confront the villagers? If trouble arises and it escalates, he can’t handle the consequences himself."

She knew better than anyone what kind of people her own husband and in-laws were.

"What can’t handle the consequences? Today, I want to see, after they’ve bullied my children like this, if they still think they can live peacefully."

Upon hearing Shen Meng’s voice, everyone inside looked outside. Ming Fang’s eyes instantly filled with tears, and just when Ming Liang was regaining some spirit, he wilted down again. Their change didn’t draw much attention; after all, they had just been terribly wronged, and hearing their mother’s voice, feeling misery and fear was expected.

Only Mingyang knew their bad habits; they just wanted to use this incident to act pitiful in front of their mother.

Seeing Lai Zi’s wife, Shen Meng was quite astonished. She took Ming Fang from Xie Jinghao’s arms and held her tightly, while also touching Ming Liang. Seeing the state of the two children broke her heart.

"How are you doing? Feeling any better? If mom knew you were in trouble, she definitely wouldn’t have gone to the county. Are you still cold, Ming Fang? What about you, Ming Liang, are you feeling better?"

"Brother, sister, does it hurt? Baby will blow on it to make it better, for brother too."

Lu Zhenping carried Lu Mingkai and stood by the Kang. The mud-brick house suddenly seemed cramped, filled with women. After ensuring the children were alright, he placed Lu Mingkai on the ground and walked out.

Lu Mingfang snuggled into Shen Meng’s arms, smelling the fragrant scent on her mother, and pouted, "I’m much better now, mom. Don’t worry. Thankfully, Aunt Yu saved us."

Although she wasn’t held by mom, just that look from her mom made her feel tremendously sweet. Lu Mingliang, hearing his sister’s words, echoed her sentiment.

"No need to cry anymore, brother. Sister and I are fine now, it’s all okay!"

Lu Mingkai leaned his little head against Lu Mingliang’s arm, looking very distraught.

"Thank you for saving my son and daughter. But what you just said, what did you mean by Lu Zhenping wouldn’t be able to handle it?"

Shirley took a sip of hot water from the enamel mug before explaining, "Recently, Lai Zi has been leaving early and coming back late. I thought he was meeting someone he liked, but it turned out he was scouting things out. He didn’t find any advantage at your place and was ridiculed as soon as he left. Naturally, he wanted revenge but was too scared to confront you and your husband, so he decided to target the children. He’s a fool and told Dezi about it. I overheard Dezi, and when I went to inform you, I found out you weren’t home. Fearing it was too late and that something might really happen, I went myself. By the time I got there, Ming Fang was already struggling in the river; no matter how tough Ming Liang and Mingyang are, they couldn’t outfight an adult. Ming Liang was pushed in and was soaked up to his waist, thankfully, Mingyang held onto him. That allowed me to pull Ming Liang up and then save Ming Fang. My in-laws know about this; they’re scoundrels. If your husband dares to confront them, they will surely make a complaint to the County Government."

Shirley finished, and Ming Fang looked up at Shen Meng with a smiling face: "Mom, I’m fine. No need to fight him. Lai Zi is a bad guy, but we shouldn’t make dad suffer too."

"Mom, I’m fine too. I feel energetic now, I could even go up the mountain and kill a big tiger."

Lu Mingliang was about to crawl out of bed when Shen Meng immediately scolded him back in.

"Zhenping, ride to my parents’ house, fetch my dad and mom, elder brother and sister-in-law, both my younger brothers and their wives over, and tell them what happened here. Jiasheng, you go find our parents and tell them their grandchildren were nearly thrown into the river and drowned, and ask if they care."

"Alright."

"Hey elder sister-in-law, I’m going now, right away."

After the two of them left, Shen Meng suddenly turned around, her face hardening as she stared coldly at Shirley, making the latter’s face stiffen.

"Why, why are you looking at me like that? Is there something wrong?"

Seeing the woman still remain composed, Shen Meng had to admire her; she only knew to be cautious around the male and female leads before, but never expected so much cleverness lurking in the small Lu Family Village.

Lai Zi’s wife and Lai Zi were always objects of other people’s disgust and disdain. The whole family was lazy; they were not keen on working, first to run to divide the grain, always there to take advantage, but never found when it’s time for work. Shen Meng herself had encountered Lai Zi’s wife many times and didn’t take her seriously, never imagining that this woman could be quietly scheming against her.

"Tell me then, what are you planning to do?"